Just a quick disclaimer before I start, I fully support the choice of any bride and groom to have their wedding day exactly how they want it and am happy to shoot their wedding exactly as they want it. I just like to present my clients with options.
I know, as girls, most of us dream of our wedding day and have a fairytale vision of what that day will be like. There are many great traditions and traditional ways of doing certain things, but sometimes there is just a better way.
I've noticed with a lot of wedding clients the tradition of your fiancé seeing you in your dress for the first time on the day of your wedding is one of the most important to them. I'm not saying thats wrong, I'm just saying theres a better way.
Instead of using the bridal session as it is traditionally used, just the bride, I always suggest doing the session with your groom and arriving separately at the location. I set up the groom with his back turned to me so he won't see his bride arrive and then I set her up and capture him seeing her for the first time that way. There are a few reasons I think doing a "first look" bridal session is the way to go:
First, it's a more intimate moment. It's just you, your fiancé and your photographer in a gorgeous setting and you're not overwhelmed by the chaos and stress of a wedding day. I think that makes for a more authentic reaction from your groom.
Speaking of chaos, your wedding day can get crazy, you may not have as much time as you'd like to get pictures of just the two of you after doing all the family photos and bridal party photos. It's nice to know you already have a whole session full of images of the two of you in all your wedding gear that you absolutely love (as you long as you picked the right photographer, which should be me! ;))
Usually wedding photos of the bride and groom are taken at the location of the wedding, so it's really fun to have the bridal session at a location you choose that may have special meaning to you or a location that offers gorgeous scenery you both love.
This session is also a great time to get your hair and makeup done and make sure thats what you want on your wedding day. It's a great trial run to see how the choices you made look in photographs to make sure you're happy with them for the wedding.
One more thing I'm passionate about in wedding choices, and not just because I'm a photographer. I urge you to invest in your wedding photography, I know it seems like a lot of money but understand that while the decorations and food and drinks are all great and important. Photos are really the only tangible part of your wedding that you'll really keep, except hopefully your hubby :) Invest in quality images, you won't regret it!
I'm not saying this is the right option for everyone, if you love the traditional way of doing things thats ok too! I just know a lot of brides I've been in contact with don't know what to expect with photos and I think it's great to know you have options!
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